Isidre Esteve drew on his experience to complete the third special stage of the Dakar 2025, contested between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, a 327-kilometer timed stage. A double initial puncture compromised the day for the Repsol Toyota Rally Team because, without spare tires, another puncture would have left the Toyota Hilux T1+ number 229 stranded on the track. So the driver from Lleida and his co-driver Txema Villalobos decided to slow down the pace to ensure a stage that, for them, was run in caution mode. Even so, the team supported by Repsol, MGS Seguros and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Spain has recovered some positions in the general standings, where it now occupies the 70th absolute position (39th in the Ultimate category).
“In the first 100 kilometers of the special, there were rocks everywhere. At kilometer 30, we caught one and punctured two tires at once. With almost 300 kilometers to go, we couldn't afford another flat tire in any case. We had no choice but to slow down a lot, so we only rode where we could ride. Even so, we still had a couple of scares with the rocks. We thought we had punctured again, but we didn't. We were a bit anxious, because we had a little bit of a problem. We were a bit worried because if we got another flat tire we would be stranded on the track”, said the Spanish driver
However, the stage was not particularly difficult, according to Isidre Esteve himself, especially after the organization reduced the planned mileage of the timed stage, due to the rains that fell on part of the route. Of the 496 kilometers planned, only 327 (792 kilometers in total, including the links before and after the special stage) were completed. However, Isidre Esteve started far back in the starting order, in 90th position, after the technical problem suffered in the 48-hour time trial, which entailed added difficulties. “The special stage was nothing special, but when we started so far back there were a lot of trucks in front of us, which left some very deep ruts in the track. These get filled with fesh-fesh [fine dust] and underneath the rocks are hidden. And, I repeat, we didn't have any spare tires on board...”, he insists.
After this stage, which, due to the circumstances, was a transition stage, the Repsol Toyota Rally Team will tackle a new challenge on this Dakar, the marathon stage on Wednesday and Thursday. Tomorrow, the 415-kilometer special stage will end in a bivouac without assistance, where the teams will spend the night before resuming the race on Thursday. Finally, on Friday the 10th, the long-awaited rest day is scheduled for a Dakar that is proving to be as tough as expected.
Clasificación etapa:
1. Saood Variawa (Toyota) 3h 16’52”
2. Guerlain Chicherit (Mini) +00’33”
3. Seth Quintero (Toyota) +01’48”
4. Guillaume de Mevius (Mini) +01’55”
5. Joao Ferreira (Mini) +03’15”
…
77 / 43 (Ultimate). Isidre Esteve (Toyota) +1h 00’06”
Clasificación general:
1. Henk Lategan (Toyota) 19h 04’53”
2. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia) +07’17”
3. Mattias Ekström (Ford) +09’34”
4. Yazeed Al Rajhi (Toyota) +11’45”
5. Lucas Moraes (Toyota) +19’40”
…
70 / 39 (Ultimate). Isidre Esteve (Toyota) +5h 34’58”
Source: Repsol Toyota Rally Team / Mediagé Comunicación
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